


Crying in the bathroom

by Athenaash



Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Cult, Ash says one (1) sentance, Crying, Enemies to Friends, Flashbacks, Gen, High School, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Internalized Homophobia, One Shot, Panic Attacks, Religious Guilt, Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Swearing, The rest of the squad is mentioned one or two times, Travis Phelps Needs a Hug, Travis Phelps gets a hug, they become friends but not really, vent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:40:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22471966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athenaash/pseuds/Athenaash
Summary: Will Travis Phelps ever get a fucking break?Absolutely not
Relationships: Sal Fisher & Travis Phelps
Comments: 3
Kudos: 38





	Crying in the bathroom

**Author's Note:**

> Please read the tags! This is a pretty heavy fic, and I wrote about a lot of my feelings about religion and religions guilt/abuse. There's also a fairly graphic self-harm scene, where Travis starts scratching his arms to bring himself out of a flashback/small dissociative episode! My boy needs a hug, and I need to stop projecting onto him ;-;

Travis sighed and looked into the mirror at his face. His black eye was gonna be a problem for school today. And the bruise blossoming across his cheek. Maybe if he could move his hair around? He messed with it for a few seconds before hearing his Father’s voice right outside their bathroom door.

“Son,” Travis froze, “What the  _ hell  _ are you doing in there? Get to school.” He looked back at the mirror, frowning for a second, but leaving the safety of the restroom. When his Father saw his son’s face he all but scowled. “Don’t come back until 10. I don’t think I can stomach seeing your face,” 

Travis nodded, “Yes sir,” and ran to his room to grab his backpack, which was already packed with everything he needed -- he heard his father call out a “Hurry up boy!” and he walked a little faster. He rushed out the front door, giving his dog, Benji, a quick pat on the way out.

The walk to the bus stop and the actual bus ride was pretty uneventful. He just plugged his headphones into his walkman that he lifted off some kid at his church, their parents would just buy a new one or some shit. Travis felt his face contort into a sneer, he hated the fucking fags that went to his school.

He could  _ feel  _ the stares and laughs he was getting, about his face. Everyone thought he just got into a lot of fights, and he guessed that would make sense, he's been labeled as a "problem child" ever since his fucking mom left him.

Hopping off the bus, Travis made his way into the school’s library. No one was ever in there, and the librarian was fucking senile (he loved her). He looked around, about to head to his normal table, and finish up the homework he didn’t get around to doing, but of course, Sally Face and his group of fags were there. And Sally was even wearing a fucking skirt, that's great, just wonderful. It’s like the group exists just to piss off Travis. “Hey! Get out of my fucking seat!” He walked over, putting his bag down, and glaring. 

“I don’t see your name on it, Phelps,” Travis flinched internally as the tall goth one, Ash was what she was called, said his last name. He wasn’t a Phelps if anything he was a Miller--his mother’s maiden name. God, but even then he hated his mom, she just got up and  _ left _ him one day, not caring what his father would do to him.

Sally piped up, causing Travis’ heart to flutter, which made him even angrier. “You can sit with us if you want though!” If he could see behind Sally’s mask he’d probably be beaming. Goddamnit, he really wanted to sit with the group, they weren’t  _ bad _ people, that was Travis’s job. But he couldn’t, he couldn’t be friendly with them without ruining the rest of his stupid, sad life.

“Tch, you think I’d wanna sit with queers like you? I want you to fucking move!” He slammed his fist down on the table after that last word. Sally sighed and shook his head. Great. Of course, Sally Fisher had to go and ruin every little thing in his life, he ruined school for Travis, then ruined his friendship with Philip, then even ruined the library. 

Tears pricked at the back of his eyes, and he glanced over to the desk, with Mrs. Smith sitting, looking over at him. “Fuck you Sally Face.” Travis shoved his hands in his pocket and walked away. 

But as soon as he left the room, Travis realized he left his fucking backpack. And before he started bawling in the middle of the semi-populated hallway, he needed to get to the bathroom and cry there instead. He was gonna be skipping first period today, which he didn’t want to do, because despite what everyone thought, Travis liked school. Just not the people in it. 

Travis’ thoughts rushed but lingered on Sally. He was complete shit to him, why the hell did the freak offer for Travis to sit with him? It was like, no matter how hard Travis tried, Sally would still try with him. Oh god… maybe he figured it out?

Panic seized Travis's chest, Sally couldn't know about his dad. If Sally knew he would tell someone, and then his dad would find out. "Nonononono- he's gonna hurt me, he's gonna hurt me again I can't let him hurt me not again," Travis curled in on himself, his hand grabbing his forearm, and digging. 

_ He felt the chillness of his house seep into his bones, and he could see his Fathers shadow looming over him, his knuckles split and bleeding. Travis was small, too young to know what this meant, how to protect himself. He never thought his dad would hurt him! _

Travis could feel himself lifting out of his body, his swimming with cotton. He started to shake and dragged his nails into his skin. He  _ had _ to focus, he  _ had  _ to stay present. 

_ His dad was kicking him, and he started coughing. Where was Travis’s mother? She always protected him when Dad got like this, why wasn’t Dad stopping? _

_ He started coughing up blood. _

Travis jolted back to reality and scratched at his arms harder, he couldn’t breathe. Someone was pounding on the stall door. He heard a voice, "Hey, can you breathe with me, please?" … what? That alone shocked him enough to pause, it wasn’t his dad. "Breathe in for four seconds, then hold that for six, then out for eight, can you do that for me? Please?"

Travis took a few minutes to get his breathing under control, with a few prompts from the person on the other side of the door. "You ok dude? That seemed like a pretty nasty panic attack, you hurt yourself at all?"

… Oh, it was Sally Face. "What the fuck is a panic attack? And I ’ m not a fucking psycho," He pulled down his sleeve, Sally couldn’t know, right? "What the hell do you want anyway, didja follow me just to make fun of me?" He scoffed.

Sally sighed, "Nope!" He said, popping the P, "… you just forgot your backpack, and I didn’t wanna go to first." Travis rolled his eyes. "Are you gonna open the stall?” Travis frowned, and waited for a few moments, before opening the door. His eyes immediately went to Travis’s sleeves, spotting a smear of blood on the hem. To Travis’s relief, he didn’t say anything about it.

“What do you  _ want _ ? I’ve been literally nothing but shitty to you, and you still fucking try! Are you messed up in the fucking head or something?!” His voice shook as he yelled, eyes threatening to spill over again, “I'm horrible, and you still,  _ still _ are sitting here, and asking if im ok!” Travis pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees, and sighed, “You of all people should hate me, and like, want me to die,”

Sally shook his head “I don’t, I think you’re a human and made mistakes- a lot of mistakes- but that doesn’t make you bad.” He mirrored Travis’s position, “I think you’re hurting, and need a hug.” Sally shook his head, his blue pigtails bouncing, “I remember one time Larry grabbed your hand?” Travis nodded, “You flinched so hard, and I-,” He cut himself off, “My dad isn’t great either, he drinks, and yells, and hits and screams. And I don’t think your dad is too great either,”

“No! My… my dad loves me, and he-he cares about me, and he’s a great dad..” Tears flowed out of his eyes, and the blonde boy let out a few hiccuping breaths, and Sally scooted over to him slowly, as if he was making sure Travis was ok with it. That made him cry harder.

Sally put his arm on Travis’s shoulders, and the boy flinched, more out of habit than being scared. “Can I give you a hug?” he asked, and Travis nodded. It was probably the most comforting hug he’s ever had. Sally was gentle, and when he pulled back Travis almost whined at the loss, “Can I give you my phone number? You can call me, or text me just to like, talk, or if you  _ ever _ need to get out of your house, my dad isn’t home too often, and if he is we can just head over to Todd’s or Larry’s,”

“I… don’t have a phone, my dad says it’s the gateway to sin,” Sally frowned at that, “And… and you may not hate me, but I  _ know _ Larry does, and I can’t go over to friend’s houses.” Travis played with his hands, “‘m sorry,”

“It’s- don’t be sorry, I can give you my old phone? It’s super cracked, and barely even works, but at least then you can get into contact with me? And any of your other friends. And I bet you can even download a bible app or something, you’re religious right?” Travis nodded, “Cool! If you come over to my house after school I can give it to you, and you know how to hide stuff from your dad yeah?” Travis nodded.

"... this might be weird, but can I see your arms? I have bandages in my backpack for this exact reason," Traviss face burned red, he really was fucking  _ insane _ huh? Nonetheless, he pulled up his sleeve, letting out a hiss when the scratchy wool fabric brushed against the skin rubbed raw. Sally frowned, "We’re gonna have to wash that off, I have a few wipes in my bag I think? … here they are!" Sally produced three alcohol wipes from his bag and handed them over. 

Travis made quick work of cleaning and wrapping his arm, it wouldn’t be the first time, and it sure as hell won’t be the last. He managed to grit out a "... thanks," before sitting back down, and riffling through his bag. He pulled out his walkman and shoved one of his headphones into his ear, and offered the other out to Sally Face. "Its ’ _God Rest Ye Merry’_ , one of my faves,"

Sally looked down at this olive branch and smiled. He slid next to Travis, pulling out crackers from his bag, he offered some to Travis. "Bone app the teeth,"

Travis cracked the most genuine smile he had in years.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! It means a lot! :) My boy needs a hug, and I sure as hell not gonna give it ;-;. Also writing about dissociation is HARD what the HELL??????? Sir,,, sir Id like to explain im floating out of my body, and it feels like im playing a video game in 3rd person, sir, sir, please  
> Make sure to drink water if you haven't today, and grab a (healthy) snack uwu. Please leave a comment and kudos! :)


End file.
